There
is an ancient wisdom which lies buried deep within eons and eons of
subconscious memory, the memory of all existence struggling to awake
from some eternal creative dream. The key to this sacred knowledge
connects all things and dissolves all apparent dualities of nature. It
is the conscious experience of existence without being able to comprehend
the “one thing” which clouds and deceives one’s mind. But
surely, if one is disciplined, his sights set on the highest way, his
mind reeling through infinity and beyond, he will ascend the cosmic
levels of awareness toward the eternal infinite being, Visnu, waiting
with open arms. Allow him to introduce himself to you now, where
the journey begins.

“I
am the Primeval Cosmic Man, Narayana. He is the waters;
he is the first being; he is the source of the universe. I manifest
myself as the holiest of holy offerings. I am the foremost of
the immortals. I am the cycle of the year, which generates everything
and again dissolves it. I am the divine yogi, the cosmic juggler
or magician, who works wonderful tricks of delusion. The magical
deceptions of the cosmic yogi are the yugas, the ages of the
world. This display of the mirage of the phenomenal process of
the universe is the work of my creative aspect: but at the same time
I am a whirlpool, the destructive vortex, that sucks back whatever
has been displayed and puts an end to the procession of the yugas. I
put an end to everything that exists. I am the holy order (dharma),
I am the glowing fervor of ascetic endeavor (tapas), I am all
those appearances and virtues through which the true essence of existence
manifests itself. I am the Lord-Creator-and-Generator-of-all-Beings
(prajapati), the order of the sacrificial ritual, and I am called
the Lord of Sacred Wisdom. From me originates whatever has been,
shall be, or is. And whatever you may see, hear, or know in the
whole of the universe, know me as Him who therein resides.” [1]

This
vivid description of Visnu seems to elucidate his essential nature
quite well; however, further exploration is obviously necessary for
a more complete conception. What is the nature of this universe
he claims to be the source of? What are these tricks of delusion
he refers to, and how are they made manifest from his essence? What
is this notion of Visnu’s divine creative aspect? Furthermore,
and perhaps most importantly, what is the Sacred Wisdom which he is
called Lord of? Perhaps an endeavor into the essential core of
these concepts will further our understanding of all existence.

Visnu
is fundamentally a creation of myth, a construct of early man’s
desire to comprehend the universal cosmic absolute. In the context
of Hindu mythology, this absolute is known as the infinite spirit,
or Brahman. It is the ultimate reality underlying all
phenomenal existence; it is vast, unqualified, and imperishable. Visnu
was conceived in an attempt to facilitate the comprehension of the
absolute by the human mind. Thus, Visnu is the anthropomorphic
pure manifestation of the infinite spirit; that is we have ascribed
human form and attributes to an intangible non-human concept. He
is the embodiment of the eternal, the spirit of which pervades all
existence.

What
then is existence? There are three fundamental qualities of nature
(trigunas): lucidity (sattva), passion (rajas),
and dark inertia (tamas). Together they are the basis
of every aspect of phenomenal existence. In what notion of a
universe do these qualities manifest themselves? Simply put, “All
the universes co-existing in space and succeeding each other in time,
the planes of being and the creatures of those planes whether natural
or supernatural, are manifestations from an inexhaustible, original
and eternal well of being, and are made manifest by a play of maya.” [2] I
will return to the concept of maya shortly; for now, let us
consider these universes, planes of being, and creatures which are
manifested from the primordial energy of Visnu.

The progression of the universal cycle is eternal;
thus it has no beginning, no middle, and no end. In the following
passage, Visnu, in the form of a boy, teaches Indra the nature of this
cycle.

“I have known the dreadful dissolution of
the universe. I have seen all perish, again and again, at the
end of every cycle. At that terrible time, every single atom
dissolves in the primal, pure waters of eternity, whence originally
all arose. Everything goes back into the fathomless, wild infinity
of the ocean, which is covered with utter darkness and is empty of
every sign of animate being. Ah, who will count the universes
that have passed away, or the creations that have risen afresh, again
and again, from the formless abyss of the vast waters.” [3]

The
length of the universe endures for one hundred Brahma years of Brahma
days and nights (one day of Brahma, the creator aspect of the godhead,
lasts 4,320,000,000 years by human reckoning; one kalpa). Thus,
in Hindu cosmology, the universe lasts 311,040,000,000,000 human years
and is then dissolved, or reabsorbed into the divine, primeval Substance. After
this, the universe is essentially unmanifest nature, non-existence,
for a period equal to the length of its existence. The actual
length of the universal cycle as described Hindu mythology is relatively
unimportant. The vital concept necessary for understanding the
nature of the universe is that it follows an endless cycle of emanation,
expansion, dissolution, and re-emanation. It extends forth from
a singularity of infinite energy, and at some point, collapses back
into this infinitely small point of infinite energy.

This
idea is comparable to modern scientific theories of the Big Bang and
Big Crunch, in which the universe expands and collapses. As the
universe expands, from a point that is considered infinitely hot, the
temperature of the radiation decreases. Illustratively, one second
after the emanation of the universe, the temperature would have fallen
to about ten thousand million degrees. It thus continues expanding
for the next few million years or so until the temperature has dropped
to a few thousand degrees, at which point atoms begin to take form
within the vast sea of photons, electrons, and neutrinos. The
expansion is slowed in regions that have a slightly greater density,
and thus, in time, galaxies are formed, which in turn leads to the
formation of stars, planets, and molecules. Eventually, the existence
of simple forms of life are made possible which lead to the development
of fish, reptiles, mammals, and any other complex life forms beyond
our comprehension from any corner of the universe. [4]

All
this existence, which has come to embody our notion of physical reality,
is in turn dissolved back into the absolute from whence it came into
being, and from which it will be born again. This is the universal
cycle, progressing eternally without end. Existence is made manifest
and destroyed through the force of the infinite spirit, the absolute.

“Boundless and imperishable, the cosmic
waters are at once the immaculate source of all things and the dreadful
grave. Through a power of self-transformation, the energy of
the abyss puts forth, or assumes, individualized forms endowed with
temporary life and limited ego-consciousness. For a time it
nourishes and sustains these with a vivifying sap. Then it
dissolves them again, without mercy or distinction, back into the
anonymous energy out of which they arose.” [5]

As
mentioned earlier, Visnu is the pure embodiment of the infinite spirit. All
physical manifestations of this spirit are formed and dissolved through
Visnu’s supreme discipline. Essentially, all physical existence
is destroyed at the dissolution of the universe; however, the all-encompassing
mental blueprint of Visnu’s spirit, the field that organizes
all energy as one dynamic system, is not destroyed in the same sense. It
is swept back into an unconscious latent creative dream that is unmanifest
nature. Each ebb and flow of the universal cycle is pervaded
by the Supreme Being, the eternal, Visnu.

Consider
an endless progression of universes, each being reborn again and again,
each potentially different than the others to an infinite degree. Consider
the countless number of galaxies, planets, life forms, cultures, civilizations,
religions, and ideas that have already existed before now. Through
the cycle of morphogenisis (coming into being) and dissolution, there
is a parallel cycle of realizing and forgetting. It is the collective
memory of all existence struggling to realize the creative dream that
is the subtle fabric of the infinite spirit. This memory lies deep
within our subconscious mind, potent and accessible; however, the key
to this divine secret is obscured by the function of ego. This
is what is meant by sacred ancient wisdom.

“This secret is a lamp to those groping
in ignorance. This secret lies buried in the wisdom of the
ages, and is rarely revealed even to saints. This secret is
the living air of those ascetics who renounce and transcend mortal
existence; but worldlings, deluded by desire and pride, it destroys.” [6]

Everything
that is transitory, ever-changing, diverse, and associated with the
physical, is maya – an illusion or mirage, a deception
of the senses, the misconceived reality of a too restricted, ego-centered
consciousness. All that is maya is made manifest through
Visnu’s creative aspect, through play of lila. “Maya is
existence. It is the supreme power that generates and animates
the display: the dynamic aspect of the universal Substance. In
the period of non-manifestation, the interlude of the cosmic night, maya ceases
to operate and the display dissolves.” [7] In
terms of our own earthly existence, maya clouds consciousness
with shrouds of misconception. Thus, the ego becomes lost within
a tangled web of confusion and ignorance.

The
ego (ahamkara) represents the most specific sense. It
is the “I” in individuality. It is the narrowest
mode of perception, attachment to which leads one into an inescapable
maze of desire, suffering, greed, passion, confusion, and ultimate
misconception. “Actions are all effected by the qualities
of nature; but deluded by individuality, the self thinks, ‘I
am the actor’.” [8] The
ego sense is stupefied and bewildered by the countless dichotomies
and paradoxical diversity generated by maya because it sees
all of nature as external. The way out of this dark and incomprehensible
maze of existence is through the broadest sense. The ego and
the broadest sense represent two opposite poles of awareness within
which lie infinite levels, or states of awareness. Consider a
number of ascending levels, spheres, radiating from the most specific
point, the ego. Each sphere is thus broader than the one directly
within it. As the ego is dissolved, the sphere of one’s
conscious awareness expands. It is inconsequential to consider which
direction from the ego one travels within this nested hierarchy of
broader and broader spheres, if one ascends outward through the spheres
long enough he is sure to reach the broadest level, the highest way. There
are infinite paths, all leading to the same one thing.

The
illusion of maya functions, in a range of infinite degree, on
all but the broadest level. Essentially, the broadest level is
the realm of the Supreme Being, the all-encompassing entity that is
Visnu’s eternal existence. In the broadest sense, as opposed
to the ego sense, there is no longer anything in nature which exists
externally. All of nature, including all universes, all forms
animate and inanimate, and all possible perceptions thereof, is known
to exist within, as one being. In other words, the illusion of
separateness disappears, and everything, universally, is seen as one. To
realize the broadest sense of all reality is to attain union with the
infinite spirit, Brahman, the divine absolute. “When
he perceives the unity existing in separate creatures and how they
expand from unity, he attains the infinite spirit.” [9]

The
power of the broadest sense, fundamentally, resides in the ability
to create reality through conscious intention. It is, therefore,
somewhat of a relative concept. The broadest sense of two individuals,
is the summation of their individual perceptions integrated into one
mind; as is the case between three individuals, or fifty, or a million. Each
case can be considered the broadest sense relative to the number of
individuals within each collective. The broader the group mind
(i.e. the more perceptions that are yoked together), the more influence
that mind has in manifesting reality. Tying this back into the
previous paragraph, to resonate with the broadest sense of infinity
is to resonate with the Ultimate Being. In other words, to resonate
with Visnu is to be Visnu, and thus transcend all universal existence. This
is the embodiment of the Hindu concept of moksa, liberation
from samsara, the painful cycle of endless rebirths. When
one realizes himself as a pure manifestation of the infinite spirit,
the ego has been completely dissolved, and the mind is freed from all
illusory effects of maya.

Unfortunately,
the path to liberation is obviously more difficult than simply thinking
broad. In order to illuminate this path, Hindu mythology incorporates
the Krsna concept to serve as an example. Krsna, an avatar or
manifestation of Visnu, is essentially the broadest sense of all reality
realized within one human individual. Whereas Visnu, the eternal
Supreme Being, is seemingly so incomprehensible to the human mind,
Krsna is much more tangible and can be directly related to human existence. Essentially,
the aspect of Krsna which allows us to relate to him is that he experiences
all aspects and stages of human existence. He is born, experiences
childhood, adolescence, lovemaking, adulthood, and ultimately death. Still,
it is important to remember at all times that Krsna is Visnu; essentially,
he is the physical manifestation of Visnu’s infinite spirit.

Krsna’s
message to us is powerfully illustrated in the Bhagavad-Gita, a dialogue
between Krsna and Arjuna given on the battlefield of the great Mahabharata
War. Krsna explains to Arjuna many concepts essential for spiritual
freedom. Within the dialogue, Krsna relates the Ancient Wisdom
of the ages, the secret to dissolving the illusion of maya. He
defines the path to enlightenment through the ideas of devotion (bahkti),
discipline (yoga), renunciation (sannyasa), and relinquishment
(tyaga). He also, brings into play the nature of duty
(dharma), action (karma), understanding (buddi),
and desire (kama).

Krsna
demonstrates that the only way to attain moksa is by detaching
one’s self from the ego, and all that we experience as physical
existence. He addresses desire as the blinding force that enslaves
us within misconception. It is the root of all suffering, greed,
hate, and anger. He stresses that in taking into account and
realizing the broad scale of the universal cycle one is freed from
the bondage of existence and the endless cycle of painful rebirths.

Two
important tools to be used in this context are renunciation and relinquishment. Although
these are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference.
Renunciation is defined as being without hate, desire, and giving up
all actions based on desire. Relinquishment is defined in the Gita
as relinquishing all fruits of action. Basically, it means that
action is to be performed, but without concern for the rewards that
action may have for the individual. “Be intent on action;
not on the fruits of action. Perform actions, firm in discipline, relinquishing
attachment; be impartial to failure and success.” [10]

In
order to tame the senses and avoid desire, one must exercise extreme
discipline. The three most important modes of discipline, ways
of reaching liberation, are the discipline of action (karmayoga),
the discipline of knowledge (jnanayoga), and the discipline
of devotion (bhaktiyoga). Discipline of action is to act
without being attached to the consequences of one’s action. Discipline
of knowledge is achieved by expanding one’s knowledge and understanding
to the broadest possible level. Discipline of devotion involves
acting without personal attachments as well as devoting all actions
to Krsna. Through devotion, the self expands toward the infinite.

“When suffering does not disturb his mind,
when his craving for pleasures has vanished, when attraction, fear,
and anger are gone, he is called a sage whose thought is sure. When
he shows no preference in fortune or misfortune, when he renounces
all desires and acts without possessiveness, or individuality, he
finds peace. This is the place of the infinite spirit; achieving
it, one is freed from delusion; abiding in it even at the time of
death, one finds the pure calm of infinity.” [11]

Krsna
is calling us to realize the broadest sense. Through his example
and teachings, he places the key necessary to unlock the secrets of
the universe within our reach. He
stresses that this brief and temporary physical existence is not worthy
of attachment. Liberation can only be achieved by detaching one’s
self from all desire and fruits of action. Understanding controls
the senses through the mind, and can guide a human being toward his
self-fulfillment. The object of devotion to which all our existence
should be focused is Krsna.

“Whatever you do – what you take,
what you offer, what you give, what penances you perform – do
as an offering to me. You will be freed from the bonds of action,
from the fruit of fortune and misfortune, your self liberated, you
will join me. If am in your thought, you will transcend all
dangers, but if you are deafened by individuality, you will be lost. Keep
me in your mind and devotion, sacrifice to me, bow to me, discipline
your self toward me and you will reach me.” [12]

To
reach Krsna is to attain union with the infinite spirit, Brahman. Krsna
is in all of us. When one realizes that the self (atman) is
indestructible and eternal, one realizes
that he is Krsna. He who knows himself to be Krsna sees himself
in all existence. In the broadest sense, there is one thing,
Visnu. Everything within him can be seen as levels of specificity
in context with manifestations of the infinite spirit. The universal
cycle is eternal, creating and destroying everything without distinction,
indifferent to any one individual. There are infinite states
of awareness. There is no separateness. There are no boundaries. Krsna’s
message is clear for all who dare to listen: to know god you must be
god, and to be god you must let go of who you thought you were.